THE ART OF LOSING

“It is just like when you lost your beloved cell phone,

You will get the brand new one anyway”

I remember when we got this flood because of the heavy rain season and broken reservoir. The flood lasted for three days. When the water went down again, it swept away trashes. And as the flood left us its mud, we had to work hard to clean every corner of the house. We found our ‘treasures’ - all things that in fact we did not use anymore and had been short of a collection of waste. Perhaps, it can be seen as a ‘natural disaster’ as the flood cost people dirt, death and lost. But it can also be seen as ‘natural cleansing’ as the flood cost us hard work to clean the house and so ourselves. To ourselves in a way that we ‘cleaned’ our mind from carelessness and force us to think how to prevent the disaster to be happen in the future, how to keep our environment clean and safe as well as to maintain it. Moreover, it is on how to keep our heart clean from disappointment or anger of the lost.

The earthquake also does short of the same thing. Thousands lost their homes and families. At the very first moment, one can only see chaos and ruins. But moments after, new houses are built again much stronger, people become more aware and sensible, and as the new life begins, the new spirit and hopes are just like the morning sunlight the brings confidence and energy. The disaster ties our sensibility, sharing, supports, cooperation, love; all combine and form this new brotherhood and humanity. Knowledge goes hand in hand with belief.

For me personally, the lost is the beginning of something new and better. But this certainly requires our patience and our faith. Prejudice will only prevent us to see beyond and stop us to go on.